I bought some comfy shoes at H&M and decided they were a little too boring. So I added a few rhinestones to them. It was super easy and only took 10 minutes! I bought some rhinestone beads from joann's and used some E6000 glue.

First I played with the beads and decided how I wanted to place them. I decided to keep it simple and only put three on each shoe.I dabbed glue on the back of the rhinestones, then firmly attached it to the shoe. I think it's better to put the glue on the rhinestones instead of the shoe, so any excess doesn't show on the shoe. Just be careful that you place them exactly where you want them. Very easy, very fast!

I ran across some glitter vinyl at Michael's the other day and decided to experiment with making a tassel. I love how it turned out, and it was super easy to make!

The vinyl I bought was $1 or $2 for a sheet, and they had other colors as well. It's very flexible and the glitter stays on very well.

Supplies:glitter vinylScissorsE6000 or other gluerulerrubber band (I was originally going to use a binder clip, as you can see in the picture, but a rubber band worked much better)pencilOptional: key ring or ribbon for attaching tassel

Cut a piece of the vinyl 6" x 3". Measure 3/4" from one edge, and draw a line across. Then mark 1/8" increments along the line. This is where you will cut the fringe.

You can adjust the measurements and cuts however you want, this is just how I did mine.

Cut a small piece (mine is 2 1/2" x 3/8") for the tag (is that the right word?) Glue the ends of the tag together, and then spread glue along the top edge above the line.

Start folding the tassel over, starting with the tag edge. At first it's very rectangular, but it will round itself out.

Wrap a rubber band around the top of the tassel to hold it tight while it's drying. And then voila! you are done.

In the past six months or so I've been knitting a lot of baby hats for a local hospital. They are collecting purple hats to give away during March, for Child Abuse Prevention Month. I've knit quite a few hats, and each one is slightly different.This is a great pattern for beginners, because many of them are just plain stockinette, and when I do use more than one color it's very basic.Here's my basic pattern, and a version with a bow. I also experimented with simple cables, stripes, and different colored poms and bands

Basic Baby Hat Pattern

Materials:Sport weight yarn in main colorSize 6 double pointed needles. You could also use circular needles and switch to dpns at the end.

Tiny Bow Baby Hat Pattern

Hat:In MC, CO 60K2, P2 to end, repeat for 6 rowsK 3 rowsChange to CC, Knit 4 rowsChange back to MC. From this point, it is the same as the basic hat pattern. Continue knitting in stockinette until the whole hat measures 5 inches long.Row 1: (k3, k2tog) to end (48 sts)Row 2 and all even rows: KnitRow 3: (k2, k2tog) to end (36 sts)Row 5: (k1, k2tog) to end (24 sts)Row 7: (k2tog) to end (12 sts)Row 9: (k2tog) to end (6 sts)After Row 9, cut yarn and thread through 6 remaining stitches. Weave in ends.Bow:With CC, CO 6 sts.Knit flat in stockinette until piece measures 5" long, then cast off.Stitch short ends of rectangle together. You should now have a circle. Fold in half so that the seamed part is at the center back of the circle.Take a long piece of yarn and start winding it around the middle of the circle. Do this until you are happy with how it looks, then tie both ends in a knot at the back of the bow. Use those ends to seam the bow to the hat on the white stripe.

I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and for an upcoming project I wanted to knit Snape's doe Patronus, but couldn't find a pattern. So I wrote my own! The pattern uses a lot of short rows and Judy's Magic Cast On. Also, it has only been test knit by me. If you have questions or find any errors, leave a comment and I will be happy to answer.

Doe Patronus Knitting Pattern

I used sport weight yarn with size 2 needles. You will also need a small amount of fiberfill or other stuffing, and two beads for the eyes (optional).You can use any yarn and needles, just be sure to use needles one or two sizes smaller than you would typically use with the yarn weight, so the stuffing doesn't show through.Click through for the pattern!

Since it's January and the start of a new year, I have a printable calendar to share. I do not have a color printer, so I wanted to make something that anyone with only a black and white printer could use. I love the geometric shapes of gemstones, so I decided to use those in my calendar. For my second calendar, I got crafty with some watercolors.